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Why Was Naseem Shah Allowed To Bat Despite Being Dropped In PAK vs NZ 2nd ODI?

Jatin

Naseem Shah smashed his maiden ODI fifty [Source: @RichKettle07/x.com]Naseem Shah smashed his maiden ODI fifty [Source: @RichKettle07/x.com]

The second ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand at Hamilton had its fair share of twists, turns and a rule that caught fans off guard. Pakistan were chasing a stiff 293 but what left everyone scratching their heads was seeing Naseem Shah walk out to bat after being left out of the XI in the first place.

Yes, you heard that right. The pacer who wasn’t even in the playing XI padded up and came in to bat. And the reason? A scary moment, a helmet hit and a smart move using the concussion substitute rule.

Haris Rauf Injury: Concussion Substitute Rule Explained

In the 25th over of the chase, Pakistan’s batting was already in tatters when Haris Rauf took a nasty blow to the helmet. A sharp bouncer from NZ pacer Will O’Rourke thudded into Rauf’s helmet and forced him to leave the field, visibly shaken.

He was declared retired hurt and as per the ICC’s concussion substitute rule, Naseem Shah was allowed to replace him, even though he was originally not in the XI.

The rule states that if a player suffers a concussion and is unable to continue, a like-for-like substitute can take his place. In this case, with Haris Rauf ruled out, Naseem Shah was brought in to bat and he make the most of it.


Naseem Outperforms Babar Azam And Other Batters

Despite being on the bench, Naseem Shah turned out to be one of Pakistan’s top scorers. While big names like Babar Azam (1 off 3), Mohammad Rizwan (5 off 27) and Imam-ul-Haq (3 off 12) crumbled like a house of cards, Naseem walked in and whacked 51 off 44 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes, striking at 115.90.

Only Faheem Ashraf (73) did better but Naseem’s cameo at No. 10 added some much-needed fight in what was otherwise a dismal chase. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. Pakistan folded for 208, handing New Zealand an 84-run win and the series with a game to spare.